The Big Field: A Child’s Year under the Southern Cross By: Anne Morddel

Beautifully illustrated, this is the charming story of a girl who spends a year with her grandmother on a farm at the edge of the South American Atlantic Rainforest. The child is from the city, but the time she spends with her grandmother teaches her about the seasons of the Southern Hemisphere and the beauty and transience of the rainforest—from the plant, animal, and insect life to the cycles of nature. Following them as they spend their days walking through the forest, lying on their backs under the trees, eating dinner outside, collecting seeds, and learning about the wildlife, this entertaining narrative is also environmentally sensitive in its approach. An illustrated, child-friendly glossary with sections dedicated to butterflies and moths, birds, bugs, and trees and plants concludes the book.

Goodreads Summary



Fun!  For kids old enough to realize that January means winter here and
summer there – they will marvel at how hot grandma says it is in January.
Grandma’s seed collecting and spreading in the field that she “always
forgets to plow” gives the story and the year a pleasant rhythm.  A mobile
of white tassel flowers, called ballerinas, to entertain Baby is so
charming.  The foreign tropical sound of butterflies that are bluer than
the sky and the Southern Cross in the sky help kids to appreciate this
distant country.
I really appreciated the colorful illustrated index of bugs, butterflies,
birds, trees, and plants.

Four Stars

*Reviewed by Kristin*

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